Fossil fuel reserves are very restricted, and thus the depletion of the fossil fuel is inevitable. In particular, since main emission sources of greenhouse gas causing global warming are fuel reserves, advanced countries have been focused on developing hydrogen energy, and the like, using alternative energy or atomic energy so as to decrease fossil fuels. An example of energy sources which have emerged as alternative energy may include solar energy, wind power, hydrogen energy, biomass, and the like. To use solar power or wind power, auxiliary facilities, such as a solar panel and a windmill, are required. However, since a wide space is required to install the solar panel or the windmill, other environmental problems, such as destruction of ecosystem and noise, may occur. Future energy needs requirements, such as environmental acceptability, economic productibility, and eternal capability.
A fuel cell is a cell which directly converts chemical energy generated by oxidation into electrical energy and is a new eco-friendly future energy technology of generating electrical energy from materials, which richly exist on earth, such as hydrogen and oxygen.
The fuel cell performs an electrochemical reaction in an electrolysis reverse reaction type of water by supplying oxygen to a cathode and hydrogen to an anode to produce electricity, heat, and water, thereby generating electrical energy at high efficiency without inducing pollutants.
The fuel cell which produces electricity and heat using fuel such as city gas is a representative new growth engine industry which has a greenhouse gas reduction effect and a very large job creation effect, and therefore is positively being promoted and commercialized around the world.
The fuel cell may generate electricity and hot water and save light and heat expenses of homes, and help prevent global worming prevention.
When the fuel cell is installed in the home, a consumer may save energy expenses and a house may be become eco-friendly which increases a market value of a house. Presently, government agencies hope to decrease greenhouse gas emission by 30% or more using the present invention, instead of using the existing power generation methods. Despite these advantages, a domestic fuel cell has been actively promoted in the country. However, fuel cells are not commonly considered because it still relatively unknown, and a product price is still expensive. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it is essential to commercialize the fuel cell in respect to environmental impact or for the future.
One alternative to a problem of a supply of electricity on earth is a renewable distributed energy generation (RDEG) technology. The RDEG technology may produce power at a consumption place and may reduce a construction of high-cost, inefficient transmission and distribution networks. The RDEG technology minimally emits greenhouse gas during the production of power. The technology has the potential to minimize complexity that occur due to centralized energy resources while allowing a consumer to be able to have more control and quick response, save costs, and the like. However, the RDEG technology has not yet been firmly established as a marketable entity. For this reason, a government directly subsidizes the RDEG technology in order to assist in the commercialization.
The RDEG technology is configured of three main technologies, that is, solar power, small wind power, a fuel cell. Reviewing in detail a power market, the RDEG technology occupies only a tiny fraction of all the power generation sources.
A stationary fuel cell has a huge potential for future use. The stationary fuel cell corresponds to a clean, efficient power supply and may have generation capacity from 1 kw to 10 MW. The fuel cell may use the existing or accessible fuel like natural gas thanks to technology innovation and may use other fuels including bio fuels and gas which are byproducts generated during adjacent industrial processes. When the fuel cell is coupled with a combined heat & power plant, efficiency may be remarkably increased from about 40 to 50% to about 85%. However, it is difficult to forecast the long-term potential of the technology due to a cost problem. To reduce cost, it is necessary to increase a scale. However, in order to increase the scale, it is essential to greatly decrease cost. Without the continuous support program by the government, it is impossible to figure out whether the technology reaches a success critical point and when it will.
For commercialization of the stationary fuel cell, there are many problems to be solved, such as a method for manufacturing a stationary fuel cell at a reasonable price, a development of a stationary fuel cell system having high efficiency, and the like. Among them, many methods of increasing efficiency of a stationary fuel cell system have been researched.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,767,328 discloses a system of tracking an optimal operation point of a fuel cell in a power supply device using a fuel cell and a power supply device including the system of tracking an optimal operation point of a fuel cell.